Fallen LeavesTwirling Sands
by mariakaicho
Summary: Saru, an animal lover, and the total opposite of Sabaku-no-Gaara. Well, they do say opposites attract...Right? Note: Have decided to do a short series of it. Watch out world, this is the beginning of Saru!


**AN:**** I do not on Naruto. That is all.**

* * *

**[7:30 am]**

Gaara was angry.

No. Scratch that.

He was pissed.

And why wouldn't he be? Here he was, on his way home from a diplomatic meeting with the fifth Hokage, it was _pouring_ down rain, his sand had been turned into mud, and he was _lost_. Yes, the great Kazekage, the most feared of the sand shinobi, was lost.

And let me tell you, he was _not_ pleased about it.

Thankfully, Gaara had a cloak to shield him from most of the rain. However, it was too big so it was constantly getting caught on twigs and branches and the hood kept coming over his rage filled, icy, aquamarine eyes.

Gaara had absolutely no clue how he even _got_ to be lost. One minute he was walking behind his entourage of guards (not that he needed them) and the next he was standing by himself in the middle of the woods.

Grumbling and cursing to himself, the eighteen year old Kazekage continued to struggle his way through the brush, occasionally stumbling over a stray root or vine.

One thing was for sure; today was _not_ Gaara's day.

* * *

**[7:00 am]**

If there was one thing Saru was sure of, it would be that today was _her_ day.

She had woken up that morning to her adorable raccoon Shu nuzzling his face against her cheek, a normal occurrence. But the day improved by a drastic amount when the sky overhead opened up and the most _glorious _rainstorm began. She donned her bright yellow rain jacket with matching knee-high boots before running outside, where we find her currently.

"It's raining. It's pouring.

The animals are snoring.

I went to bed with Shu on my head.

And look what I found in the morning~!"

She sang, changing the words from the classic nursery rhyme to fit her own thoughts.

Saru turned back to the small cabin that she lived in. "Come on Shu! Miko! It's nice out!" A period of silence followed. Saru puckered her lips and then snapped her fingers before adding in triumph, "Get out here now or no breakfast for you!" Two loud squeaks sounded before the raccoon and squirrel rushed out of the cabin.

The two animals gave her a glare as their fur was getting soaked by the rain. Saru laughed happily. "You two…" she laughed, "Look…" Saru laughed again, "Ridiculous!" And then she proceeded to double over laughing. The two mammals looked at each other before nodding and leaping at her. They collided with her shoulders and Saru gave a shriek before falling directly into a puddle, her hat sent flying in a gust of wind.

Saru groaned, but smiled. "Way to go you two; you lost my hat!" She sighed in mock disappointment. "Now my hair is all wet…Yay! We need to get my hat back though…" Saru brightened and leapt to her feet. "Come on! Let's gooo!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, not too far away… [7:45 am]**

THWACK! A bright yellow hat hit Gaara square I the face before it was peeled off by a very irate sand user.

'_What is it with my luck today? If my sand wasn't completely useless I would have buried the whole stupid forest. Then there wouldn't be any annoying trees…' _Gaara thought to himself, laughing a quiet maniacal laugh. He kept the hat in his hand.

"Come on Shu! Miko! I think it went this way!" A girl's voice sounded not too far off.

A rustle in the bushes to Gaara's right caught his attention; he looked over in time to see a squirrel jumping out of it.

Gaara's eye twitched. Squirrels always seemed to remind him of Rock Lee for some reason…

The squirrel squeaked and made a series of chattering noises before a raccoon also leapt out. The squirrel made more weird noises before gesturing to Gaara who was staring at the animals in confusion. Then the raccoon got a good look at Gaara; hearts lit up its eyes and it lunged at him. Gaara gulped in discomfort as it clung to his neck.

"SHUKAKU!" a voice shouted.

'_What? Shukaku? …Here? I thought he was dead…?'_ Poor Gaara was so confused.

"GET OFF OF THE POOR BOY! HE'S NOT A RACCOON!" A purple haired girl leapt out of the bushes before landing on her face in the mud. The raccoon and squirrel squeaked loudly before rushing over to her. "I'm alright you two. Now head back to the house and wake the others." The animals scurried away.

Then she turned to Gaara. "Hello! I'm Saru! What's your name? I like animals. Your eyes are cool. Hey that's my hat!" She shouted, noticing the bright yellow hat in his hand.

"Hn." Gaara grunted, handing her the hat. _'She has mud all over her face…'_

"Thank you so much…!"

"…Gaara."

"Gaara!" She shouted in happiness. Then she grabbed his wrist. "Come on, you can stay with me until your clothes dry okay? Good. Let's gooooo~!" She exclaimed before dragging the poor Kazekage away.

* * *

**In Saru's cabin [9:00 am]**

"So Gaara-kun, you're a ninja right?" He nodded. "What rank are you?" She asked energetically. Gaara had gotten used to the fact that she asked lots of questions. He supposed that living by herself in the middle of the woods (her raccoon, squirrel, chicken, horse, dog, four cats, parrot, rabbit, cow snake fox and monkey(who was ironically named Saru as well) didn't count) would lead her to want to talk as much as she can to anyone who showed up.

He grunted, "Kazekage.".

Saru's eyes widened and she gasped. "Really? That's so cool Gaara-kun! You're the coolest!" She leapt over and hugged him around the middle

Gaara blushed and sat there awkwardly. "Um…"

She pulled away and smiled. "Wait, so how old are you then? You can't be much older than I am."

"I'm eighteen."

"I'm sixteen!"

'_She certainly doesn't act sixteen. Six maybe…But not sixteen.'_ Gaara thought wryly.

"Hn." He said out loud.

"I used to be ninja once." She said.

Gaara turned his eyes to her, interested. "Really? From what village?"

"I'm from Konoha. I didn't have many friends there except this one kid. Naruto Uzu-something or other. I can't remember."

"Uzumaki."

"Yeah! That's it!" She brightened. "How did you know? Did you guys meet each other or something?"

"Or something…He saved my life in a way." He said.

"He saved mine too." She said, her smile dimming.

Something occurred to Gaara. "Wait, you say you **used** to be a ninja? Why did you quit?"

"I didn't quit. Not by my own choice anyway…" She said solemnly. "Being a ninja was the only important thing for me. But I was still a genin when the Sand and Sound invaded Konoha about five years ago. They sent teams of us to help with the barriers. I got too close to where the forest was, and all I remember after that is seeing two massive beasts attacking each other. I found out later that a tree had been knocked down by a gust of wind from one of the creatures. It crushed me. Luckily Naruto spotted me when they were taking him back to Konoha. He saved my life."

She smiled grimly, "However, I was in critical condition for weeks and then unable to move for months. When Lady Tsunade became Hokage, she told me that I couldn't be a ninja anymore and forced me to hand in my hitai-ate. I was depressed for months. Naruto was the only reason I kept living. Then Naruto left. That was the last strike for me. I left Konoha. I ran away. And I regret it every minute…" She ended quietly, looking away from Gaara. He saw her tears hit the floor and reached over to touch her hand lightly. She looked up at him, wiping her eyes furiously with the back of her hand.

"Then go back." He stated firmly.

"I can't I-," She was cut off by furious coughing, her eyes widening in pain as she coughed continuously into her hand. Finally, the coughing sputtered out of existence and she removed her hand from her mouth. Gaara grabbed her wrist roughly and tugged it towards him. He turned her palm face up and smelled the copper smell of blood before he saw it.

He looked at her. "You never fully recovered." It wasn't a question.

"No."

He let go of her wrist and rubbed the area between his eyes; he could feel the headache coming on already. Then he smirked. "Well I guess it's my duty as Kazekage to make sure that people come to check up on you."

"Oh nonono-,"

"People like…Uzumaki Naruto and myself I mean."

"Really! Would you do that for me?"

"Why not?"

"Thank you Gaara!" She hugged him tightly. No suffix this time he noticed.

"You're welcome…Saru."

* * *

**[3 months later]**

"Hello? I'm here Saru." Gaara called into the loud house. Over the past three months he and Naruto had gotten very close to Saru. Gaara enjoyed her company, over the weeks she had calmed down since she now had company to look forward to.

Gaara stood in the main room, placing his gourd down in the corner of the room when the raccoon Shu sprinted in.

"Hello Shu." Gaara smiled lightly, he liked it here in the little cabin in the middle of the woods.

The raccoon looked up at him before turning around. Then he sprinted back down the hallway and into the room at the end of it. Gaara complied and walked down the hallway, ignoring the continuous screams, chirps, and noises that the animals that were permitted to live inside the house were making.

"Saru?" Gaara said hesitantly, his smile fading.

"C-come in Gaar-," She was cut off by furious choking which ended shortly and took a deep breath, gasping.

Gaara took a step into the room, then stopped, shocked at the sight before him.

"Ohayo Gaara-kun!" She chirped weakly, but brightly. She was lying in bed with blood dripping down her face and all over her shirt and sheets. Her dark eyes, which once sparkled brightly, were dimmed with fatigue and the skin under her eyes were dark.

"S-Saru? What…What happened?" He asked, his eyes wide. The smell of blood was overpowering to even him, Gaara had no idea how the animals could stand being in the room. But there they were, crowded around her bed with the cow and the horse heads peering in from a window next to her bed.

"I…I think I'm dying Gaara." She said, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"No. _NO_! You can't be dying. You just can't." He shook his head furiously in denial even though she knew her words to be the truth.

"Just…Stay with me Gaara…Okay?" She asked weakly

Gaara sat down next to her, grabbing her bloody hand softly.

"You know…Gaara…" She wheezed softly. "I think…I think that I love you…I just…wanted you to know before…" She coughed into her hand, blood leaking through her fingers and Gaara could hear he lungs rattle as they gasped for clear air. She slumped back down onto the pillow and closed her eyes smiling, her breathing light.

"Saru…" She raised her eyebrows to show she was listening but didn't open her eyes. "I think…That I love you too." And with that Gaara leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth, ignoring the blood covering her and the bitter taste of copper in his mouth. He pulled back and looked down at her sadly. "Just wanted to get that out…before you…" He trailed off.

"Thank you… Gaara…" She sighed, a smile gracing her lips and the hand he was clutching fell limp and he heard her breathing stop.

"Saru. Saru! SARUUUUU! Damnit! It wasn't supposed to be like this! She was supposed to live! And be happy! Not dead!" he screamed the sand swirling around him. His eyes were moist with unshed tears and soon the sand lashed out at everything. The animals were crushed immediately. Gaara saw Shu look at him with grateful eyes; all of them couldn't go on without her. This made Gaara scream louder as he clutched the body to his chest as her head lolled backwards, the smile forever etched on her face as her home was destroyed from the inside out.

* * *

**[1 year later]**

Gaara stood in front of the tombstone located on the edge of the forest. It was hidden with a genjutsu so that bandits couldn't ruin it. A statue of a girl was sitting on the ground, surrounded by many animals. A smile was on her face and her eyes seemed bright with happiness.

Gaara dropped the bouquet in front of her, the girl he loved, before turning and walking away.

The inscription read:

**Here lies Saru,**

**A brave ninja,**

**An animal lover,**

**And a great person.**

**May she live on surrounded**

**By her best friends**

**R.I.P**

And then the symbol that was etched upon his forehead.

'_Aishiteru… Saru…'_

* * *

**THE END**

**AN:**_ Or is it? I have decided that Saru's story needs to be told, and will be told. _

**_Preview_**_: "Saru..." "See! What did I tell you? They'll just laugh at you and forget about you..." "You're wrong you idiot! As long as you're here, I will be too! I'm not leaving until you do!" To be loved by all... Yeah, she would like that. To be known as someone other than the purple monkey... It'd be nice._


End file.
